With the whack of a champagne bottle, the Navy christened one of the most unusual ships in its history Saturday — a 785-foot “pier-at-sea” that’s undergoing final outfitting at General Dynamics-NASSCO in Barrio Logan.

The Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) ship John Glenn is named after the pioneering astronaut, Marine Corps fighter pilot and longtime U.S. senator. It features a long and flat mid-deck that can be flooded, allowing Marine landing craft and Navy SEAL teams to easily move on and off. Only the ship’s bow and stern remain above water.

“It looks like they forgot to finish” building it, said the 92-year-old Glenn, drawing gales of laughter during an often humorous christening that was crowded with dignitaries and shipbuilders. The ceremony also attracted people who simply wanted to see Glenn, who became the first American astronaut to orbit Earth in 1962.

John Glenn is applauded by high ranking Naval Officers shortly after his daughter Lyn Glenn smashed the ceremonial bottle of Champagne on the side of the USNS John Glenn.
— Charlie Neuman / UT San Diego

John Glenn, 92, shakes hands with Victoria Rojas, 7, the ceremony's "Flower Girl." At left is Glenn's daughter Lyn Glenn and at right is Glenn's daughter in law Dr. Karen Fagerstrom.
— Charlie Neuman / UT San Diego

The MLP program is meant to improve the Navy’s ability to quickly and nimbly carry out a variety of ship-to-shore operations, particularly in areas where vessels have little or no access to ports. The ship’s decks have 25,000 square feet of cargo space, giving the Navy a floating beachhead that can be used for everything from combat missions to the sort of humanitarian relief that was provided to the Philippines in November following a devastating typhoon.

“We have to get out of our addiction to platforms ... it’s the payloads that we need,” said Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations. “This (ship) is a giant Swiss Army knife. It’ll be flexible and responsive. The John Glenn will be vital to our future operations.”

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Congress nearly abandoned the MLP program about five years ago because of cost issues. NASSCO responded by figuring out a way to modify the basic design of an oil tanker into an ocean-going logisitics platform. The design change reduced expenses, leading Congress to order three of the ships and bringing NASSCO at least $1.2 billion in contracts.

The first MLP — the Montford Point — was christened last year. The John Glenn is going through sea trials, and the third ship, known as the Lewis B. Puller, is under construction. Greenert said Saturday that the Navy plans to ask Congress to fund a fourth MLP.

Navy officials lauded NASSCO for the innovations it made while building the John Glenn, a roughly $500 million ship that was finished ahead of schedule and under budget. But most of the attention on Saturday was focused on the human Glenn, an Ohio native who quietly sat on stage, periodically smiling at his 93-year-old wife, Annie.

The couple were high-school sweethearts who went on to attend Ohio’s Muskingum College. Glenn left Muskingum after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and later enlisted in the Navy, where he became a pilot. He was transferred to the Marines and ended up flying more than 120 missions during World War II and the Korean War. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross six times.